3 hours
12
Instant Confirmation
Get a comprehensive look at some of the most important sites of the Easter Rising of 1916 in the beautiful city of Dublin, independent Ireland's capital city. In the company of a local guide well-versed in Irish history, you'll visit the scenes of fierce fighting, the statues of rebel leaders on O'Connell Street and the rebels' HQ at the General Post Office and gain an understanding of the events that led up to this pivotal moment in Ireland's struggle for independence. On your private tour, you will: Learn about Ireland’s long road to independence from Britain, and the many significant figures who played key roles in fighting for it, from Victorian politicians, doctors and priests, to the leaders of the Easter Uprising in 1916; Learn about the Uprising that took place in the middle of the First World War, and how it was brutally and swiftly crushed by British soldiers; See the General Post Office, where Patrick Pearse read aloud the Proclamation of Irish Independence in 1916 – effectively kickstarting the Easter Rising. It became the rebel headquarters, the scene of a bloody five-day siege, and the site of their final surrender; Learn about the uprising’s failed attempt to capture Dublin Castle at the start of the conflict; Relive the intense struggle that took place in the City Hall, and hear about the horrific police brutality; See the Shelbourne Hotel, where the Irish Constitution was drafted in 1922; Walk up O'Connell Street, lined with statues of the men who outspokenly called and fought for Irish independence, starting with Daniel O’Connell (1775 – 1847) who organised many hundreds of non-violent protests and demanded civil rights for Irish Catholics in the British Parliament; Notice how many of the pedestals of these Irish heroes of independence are pockmarked with bullet holes, from the violence of the 1916 rebellion; Hear the life stories of the many figures of Irish Independence whose statues line the road, from James Larkin founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, whose strike in 1913 is considered the ‘first shot’ in the 1916 uprising, to figures from the 19th century like Father Theobald Matthew and Charles Stewart Parnell, who nearly won ‘home rule in the 1880s; Finish your tour at the Gardens of Remembrance, where the lives of all the Irishmen who died in the struggle for independence are commemorated. While the fight for Irish independence or ‘Home rule’ had long been fought for, the Easter uprising of 1916 was a definitive moment in the history of Ireland and its long road to independence from the British. The rebellion took place in the middle of the First World War and was brutally suppressed by the British army. It paved the way for the election of Arthur Griffith as the president of a new nation six years later. In this 2.5-hour private walking tour, you will explore the most significant sites of the Easter Uprising in Dublin, while learning all about the history of the Emerald Isle and its turbulent, often violent relationship with Britain. Hear about the events that led to the Easter Uprising, its defeat and the fallout from it. Visit the General Post Office—the headquarters where the rebels declared Ireland a republic and raised the flag—to the City Hall, where fierce fighting took place. You will learn about the failed rebel attempt to capture Dublin Castle at the start of the conflict.After walking up O’Connell Street, lined with the statues of those who made significant contributions to the fight for Independence, you will end the tour at the Garden of Remembrance, where the lives of all the Irishmen who fought for freedom are commemorated. The memorial was placed on the site where rebel leaders of the Uprising were held before their execution. Above you’ll see the Irish flag, with the green colour representing Catholics, orange for protestants and white: a symbol of hope, that both can live together in peace. In 2011, Queen Elizabeth II visited the site, the first by a British monarch in 100 years. She laid a wreath of Remembrance and bowed her head. A deeply moving and healing moment for both countries.
Operated by
Travel Curious
Your guide will meet you outside the Caffè Nero at 5 Merrion Row, Dublin D02 E797.
Duration
3 hours
Start Times
09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30
Address
5 Merrion Row, Dublin, D02 E797, Ireland
A National IconThere are few greater symbols of the dramatic history of Irish Republicanism than Dublin’s General Post Office. Inaugurated on the 1st of June 1818, the magnificently fronted building was famously the headquarters of the Easter Rising in 1916. Also known as the Easter Rebellion, the movement was a bold attempt to end Britain’s rule of Ireland while the majority of its military forces were engaged in the First World War. Though the rebellion was crushed within a week by vastly superior numbers and firepower, and its ringleaders executed, the event was instrumental in reinvigorating Irish republicanism and is considered a landmark event in bringing about the end of British rule. Walking around the GPO today, you cannot help but be drawn into the history of the place as you examine the bullet and shrapnel holes that pepper the outer walls. The year 2016 marks the centenary of the rising, and a variety of events and exhibitions have been planned across the city to commemorate it. Stone and FireEven without its impact on the course of Irish history, the GPO would still easily merit a visit. One of the capital’s great Georgian buildings, its 67-metre wide granite façade immediately catches the eye as you stroll down O’Connell street, the city’s main thoroughfare. A beautiful Ionic portico consisting of six fluted columns serves as the building’s centerpiece, summited by statues of Mercury, Fidelity and Hibernia on the pediment. Though a large part of the building was destroyed by fire following the heavy shelling of 1916, the grandeur and national pride contained within this old post office remains untarnished.
Dublin Castle is not quite what the name might lead you to expect. Though it does boast an impressive 800-year history, having been commissioned and built by King John of England in the early 13th Century, only the Record Tower now remains of the original stone structure, and it now feels more akin to an 18th Century stately home than a mighty medieval fortress. England’s stronghold in IrelandNevertheless, the castle is certainly worth a visit, if only because its history is in many respects the history of Dublin itself. Its succession of significant historical episodes peaked a century ago during the fierce struggle for Irish independence, which was eventually secured, together with the keys to the castle, in 1922. You can walk through the room where James Connolly, the leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, was kept prisoner tied to a chair prior to his highly provocative execution. During the Anglo-Irish war for independence a few years later, three key IRA members were tortured and killed within the walls of the castle on the evening of that conflict’s “bloody Sunday”.Visiting the castle today is thankfully not so harrowing. Its spacious grounds are perfect for a stroll on a sunny day, and there is a café to one side for those who want to rest their weary legs. Taking a tour will allow you to see St. Patrick’s Hall, where new Irish presidents are inaugurated. The highlight of your visit should be a trip down to the undercroft of the castle. Accidentally discovered in 1986, it is possible to see an ancient Viking foundation, as well as the remaining dribble of the River Poddle, which once supplied the moat.
Maintained in its original Victorian design, St Stephen's Green is a park beloved by locals.
O'Connell Street is the heart of Dublin's thoroughfare - with shopping, pubs, restaurants and historic landmarks, including the old post office.
A Den of ViceThis site next to Dublin Castle at the top of Parliament Street was not always occupied by so prestigious and grand a building as the City Hall. In the mid-1700s a tavern called The Eagle became the sordid hangout of the Earl of Rosse’s infamous Hellfire Club, whose drunken, debaucherous and occasionally diabolical revelries became the stuff of Dublin legend. These days, the sex and satanism have been toned down but the location is no less widely renowned. A Celebrated RestorationDesigned by Thomas Cooley and completed in 1779, Dublin City Hall marked the introduction to Ireland of the European neoclassical architectural style, and remains an exquisite example of it. When it was converted into a government building in the mid-1800s, the team tasked with overseeing the alterations to the building created a number of unsightly additions to the structure which ruined its overall aesthetic effect. Thankfully, an award-winning restoration program in the early 21st century has returned City Hall to its former Georgian splendour. Trading PlacesAfter paying a €4 entry fee, you are admitted into the rotunda, a spectacular entrance hall crowned by a large dome, which is supported by 12 marble columns. You can wander between the columns, over the gorgeous floor mosaics and around the ambulatory surrounding the rotunda, and your footsteps will follow those of the merchants who once discussed business in this place over 200 years ago.In the vaults downstairs there is a multimedia exhibition detailing the history of Dublin from the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1170 to the present day. For an entry of only €2, it is well worth a visit.
A garden memorial that commemorates all the Irishman who gave their lives for Irish freedom in rebellions.
No refund is possible if you cancel.